KakaIru Fest Fics
by Kiterie
Summary: KakaIru These will all be Fics written for prompts on the Livejournal KakaIruFest comm
1. Just To See You

**Title:** Just To See You

**Author:** Kiterie

**Prompt Number:** 89 by Taudi [_**Scenario:** You know, that I know, that you know that I saw you. [three things that could be included: "It wasn't me!", a pink bandaid, 3 A.M._]  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairing(s):** Kakashi/Iruka  
**Summary:** You know, that I know, that you know that I saw you.  
**Contains [warnings]:** None in particular  
**Word Count:** ~1,400  
**Author's Notes:** Humor;

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"He's going to catch you," Sakura said, chuckling softly and putting a bright pink bandaid over the cut.

Kakashi looked down at his forearm and made a face at the colored bandaid. "That's just going to fall off." He poked at it absently until she reached out and grabbed his wrist, glaring at him.

Cleaning another scratch, this one on Kakashi's shoulder, Sakura pulled his hand away, then released her hold. "It's not going to fall off and you're _going_ to leave it on there. I'm not wasting chakra on every single scratch you get because you set off one of Iruka-sensei's traps when you were spying on him." She fixed him with a scolding look before picking up another bandaid. "When Iruka-sensei said somebody was spying on him I didn't realize it was you."

"It wasn't me," Kakashi said, prodding the area around the bandaid the minute she let go of him. "I was on my way back from a mission when an opossum crossed my path and I had to catch it."

Sakura blinked at him, one eye brow raised. "What?"

"It was on the roof." Kakashi said as though that explained everything.

She shook her head, clearly not believing his excuse anymore than she ever had, but deciding that it was either too late or too early to yell at him for the obvious lie. "Last week you came in with a sprained ankle and Iruka mentioned that somebody had been across the alley on the roof since the tiles he'd loosened and greased where broken. Three days before that you came in with burns and then the next day I found out from Kurenai-san that Iruka-sensei had rigged an explosive trap on his balcony because he thought somebody was spying on him. And now you come in suffering from poisoning and covered with kunai cuts..."

Kakashi hmmed and then his eye turned up in the way it did when he smiled. "It was a poisonous opossum..."

"Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura closed her eyes, the vein in her forehead throbbing. "Opossums are _not_ poisonous or native to Konoha."

"It must be visiting distant cousins and they're poisonous so it decided to try out being poisonous too," he said, nodding as though that's what must have happened.

"_Very_ distant cousins," Sakura said, sighing and closing the medical kit. "And I suppose you burned your hands baking cookies."

"For the kodama that live in the forest of death. They're especially fond of peanut butter ones." Kakashi said, smiling again.

The pink-haired medic rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "And how did you sprain your ankle?"

Standing, Kakashi moved towards the door to small examining room, then turned and grinned at her again. "I tripped."

"I don't know if that lie's worse than the others or not. Only a ninja like Naruto would trip." She said, following him over to the door and practically shoving him out it. "If you come back in here and I find out you were spying on Iruka-sensei, again, I _will_ tell him." She narrowed her eyes, frowning at him. "If you like him it'd be better for everyone involved if you just told him instead of sneaking around his apartment at night."

Kakashi waved his hand dismissively as he left, already pulling his book out.

"Stupid, idiotic Kakashi-sensei..." she muttered, heading back to the nurses lounge to finish the book she'd been reading.

Kakashi slipped down the side of the building, wincing slightly when his chakra faltered and he landed harder than he'd intended. He knew he was close to drained and that this probably wasn't the best idea he'd had, but he _was_ already there. Even without using his chakra it was a simple matter to walk along the ledge of the building to the wire that was strung between the two to be used for hanging out laundry. Slipping across the makeshift clothesline he stepped over to the other roof and pulled himself up. Walking over to where a window glowed with light from inside he leaned down over the edge so he could see inside, then frowned. Twisting, he leaned a little further, trying to angle his head so he could see into the window beside it.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

The sound of his name being yelled by a very familiar and very irritated voice startled Kakashi and he slipped over the edge. Two decades worth of training and sheer luck was the only reason he managed not break anything when he landed. It didn't however save him from getting banged up along the way. First his arm got sliced by the sharp edge of a broken unused pipe jutting out from the wall. Then his ankle twisted as he scrabbled to get them under him and instead caught it on the edge of Iruka's balcony, the rest of him already too far past it to do him any good. As if all that wasn't bad enough his head smacked against the dumpster just before he hit the ground and right before he blacked out a shadow appeared a the edge of the roof, looking down into the alley where Kakashi had fallen.

Kakashi cracked his eye open, a little surprised he wasn't in the hospital. It took a second for him to figure out where he was but when he caught site of the window and the building across the street, he flushed.

He turned to look at Iruka who had pulled a chair up beside the bed and was sitting there watching him. There was that momentary exchange of looks. Iruka knew it was him now that had been spying on him and Kakashi knew he'd been caught.

Iruka's eyes, his stiff, defensive posture, everything about the way he was looking at Kakashi all but said _"I know you know that I saw you."_

Kakashi didn't say anything, just stared at him; his mind racing for an explanation, an excuse, something...

"Why are you watching me Kakashi?" Iruka asked, his tone was formal and slightly stressed.

"It's not what you think..." It sounded like a bad excuse, even to Kakashi.

Iruka sighed and brushed his hair behind his ears. "Really? Because right now I'm wondering what I'm in trouble for?"

"You're not!" Kakashi said, trying to sit up, before realizing that was probably as bad an idea as stopping by when he was so exhausted.

"Then why have you been watching me?" the chunin asked, clearly confused.

Rubbing his head with his hand, Kakashi concentrated on his breathing and getting the spinning to stop for a moment. "I wasn't spying on you I just..." he hesitated, the embarrassment overwhelming for a moment. "...wanted to see you."

Iruka's eyes widened and his mouth opened and then he blinked. "Oh..." he said after a moment, his cheeks flushing.

"I try not to set the traps off but sometimes, when I'm coming back from a mission, I'm not as careful as I should be." He felt guilty for causing Iruka so much trouble. Even more than he did for looking in on him. "I just had to see you."

"I'm the one who should be apologizing, if I'd realized it was you I wouldn't have..." Iruka rubbed at the scar on his nose but didn't look at Kakashi.

Kakashi pushed himself up, ignoring the dizziness it caused. "Iruka..."

"I know we started off on the wrong foot but we've been getting along and I didn't mean to..." Iruka said, stumbling over the words.

Chuckling, Kakashi pulled his masked down, wrapped a hand around Iruka's head, and pulled him close for kiss. It was the only way he could think of to get the other man to shut up. "You catch me spying on you and I get the apology? I'm not quite sure if that's how this is supposed to work," he said, still laughing softly before stealing another kiss from the startled chunin.

Iruka stared at him for a moment afterwards. "I... guess I saw it more that I went a little overboard with the traps without considering that I might hurt a... friend," he said, sounding a little uncertain about the last word.

"A friend who's an idiot and couldn't resist coming to see you before checking in and who didn't have the guts to do more than that," Kakashi reminded him. "Let's just accept that the apologies are out of the way." Given that he hadn't gotten beaten to a bloody pulp for the spying or the kissing he was fairly sure it was okay to ask. "Where do you want to go from here?"

"The hospital," Iruka said seriously before leaning forward to steal a kiss of his own. "We can figure out the rest when you're not exhausted and it's not three in the morning."

Kakashi laughed and pulled his mask up. At least Sakura wouldn't have to tell on him.


	2. Heart

**Title: **Heart**  
Pairing: **KakaIru**  
Author's Note: **This is kind of more fluff than humor hopefully it's funny enough to satisfy the requester**  
Prompt #: **72 by ___alcedines_**  
Genre: **Humor (light or otherwise) what? I have enough angst already**  
Three things that can be included: **Chocolate. Coffee. Evenings.**  
Scenario:** Anything really. A meeting, a conversation a you-look-half-dead-here-have-a-mocha-cappuccino-laced-with-speed-so-you-feel-better moment (I'm half-kidding about the speed)**  
Squicks:** If the words "dolphin" or "scarecrow" make their way into the text in reference of anything except a literal dolphin and a literal scarecrow, bad things will happen. Mod note: Seriously, bad things will happen. The prompter is willing to commit... crimes if they see that.**  
Maximum Rating:** PG-13. R if and only if it is desperately needed omg**  
**

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**Iruka rubbed his hand over his face in a desperate attempt to keep from falling asleep, there were still three hours until the end of his shift and he was failing miserably. Technically he had everything he had to have done, done however fighting exhaustion was only harder when bored so he'd taken up reorganizing the supply cabinet. He was now sitting on the floor testing pens to see if they worked before either tossing them in the trash or in the plastic bin in front of him.

"Still here I see." The amused voice came at the same time a cup was held out in front of Iruka.

The smell of the coffee alone helped to wake him up. "Oh kami I think I'm in love," he laughed, accepting the cup. Taking a sip, Iruka closed his eyes for a moment and breathed in the smell of the coffee before letting out a long, slow, contented sigh. "Chocolate too? What did you do Kakashi, forget your report?"

The jounin laughed and settled on the floor beside him. "How little you think of me, Iruka-sensei. I can't have good intentions by bringing you coffee, good coffee at that? I think you just want to assume I'm up to something under-handed when in fact I'm really quite well behaved."

Iruka snorted, rolled his eyes, and sipped at the still far to hot coffee before setting it down. "You read porn in public, are constantly late, and even Naruto tells me that you're a _'lazy, no-good, perverted sensei'._" His lips curled up at the corners when he said it though.

"Okay maybe not 'well-behaved' but I don't see how a few 'misdemeanor violations of behavior' have given you the view that I can't do something nice for a colleague without some selfish motive like getting out of trouble." Kakashi picked up a pen, looked at it, then leaned over to mark the back of Iruka's hand with it before tossing it in the bin.

"You're saying I'm being too hard on you?" Iruka laughed and quirked an eyebrow at him.

Kakashi nodded solemnly, picking up another pen. "Yes." His hand flicked out to again mark Iruka's hand before the pen was tossed into the appropriate place.

"Coming from you-" Iruka laughed and sipped his coffee, ignoring the pens in favor of the drink. "-that's hilarious. Should I ask Tenzou or your team if I am?"

"That's not the same thing at all. I'm doing it for their benefit, you're just doing it to be mean and unfair." He stuck his lower lip out far enough that it was visible under the mask and twirled another pen in his fingers.

"Well..." Brown eyes glinted mischievously and Iruka smirked, watching Kakashi's hand. "I'm hard on you for _your own good_ and theirs too." The remarked earned another laugh and the pen flicked out across Iruka's hand.

"Hm..." Kakashi shifted to a crouch, tossed the pen in the box and leaned close. He narrowe his eye and studyed Iruka carefully for a moment. "You're looking out for my well-being and here I thought you didn't care."

Iruka jumped when the pen scratched across his skin again and resisted the urge to slide back away from Kakashi. It was hard when the other man was so close he could feel him breathing. "I..." Iruka swallowed and opened his mouth again, trying to force himself to say something more but nothing came out.

Kakashi reached out and tilted Iruka's chin up towards him. He leaned down, his eyes shifting over Iruka calmly. "You're not getting enough sleep." His tone was flat and the words held no room for argument.

It broke the spell enough Iruka could breath again and he rolled his eyes. "I get plenty of sleep."

"You're always pushing yourself. If it were anyone else _you_ would personally yell at them until they caved agreed to get some rest." Kakashi's eye closed, crinkling in the way it always did when he smiled. "I should know you yell at me often enough."

Iruka's cheeks flushed and he shook his head, Kakashi's finger moving with the motion. "I don't go into the field as often as you... or others so it's not as important. Falling asleep at a desk isn't going to get me killed."

"You're still endangering your health by not getting the rest your body needs." Kakashi's gaze slid down over the chunin's aforementioned body before returning to his face. "That sets a bad example, worse than my reading choices if I say so myself. I've heard you tell your students more than once that a shinobi must keep their body in top condition since they never know when they might be needed."

"Everyone works so hard... I can't slack off just because my responsibilities keep me here most of the time." It was hard not to feel like he was when he got to go home to a nice comfortable bed more days than not.

Kakashi laughed, shook his head, and dropped his hand. "I've seen you work the mission desk every day for a week after teaching all day then turn and pull gate duty and patrols on the weekend. Anyone who thinks you take it easy or 'slack off' has something wrong with them."

The fact that Kakashi had paid him enough attention to notice something like that surprised Iruka and he blushed even darker than before. "I get to go home and sleep in my bed far more often than some and it's extremely unlikely that an enemy nin will attack me while I'm in the village. If my working an extra shift or two means 'somebody' that's been in the field_nearly_ constantly for years gets even a few hours to their self then it's worth it."

A silver eyebrow raised and a light blush darkened the skin just above Kakashi's mask. "Alright, I admit it..." He held his hands up, palms out. "I'm just as bad."

"I'd say worse but I think I'll take what I can get and accept your white flag as is," Iruka laughed, leaning back just enough to sip his coffee again.

"Since we're in agreement that we both work far more than is sane..." Kakashi chuckled, his eye closing briefly.

Iruka wondered if Kakashi was maybe 'winking' at him since it was clear to him by the expression and the laughter that the other was amused. "What?"

Kakashi's eye opened and locked on him. "Hm... well since we work so hard we should take a break. Have dinner with me."

It didn't sound like a question but there was no denying what was being suggested and Iruka's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something, then forgot what and closed it again. He didn't know what to say or if he was supposed to say anything at all so he simply nodded.

"Good. I'll come find you when you've gotten some sleep then." Kakashi rose and headed for the door, stopping beside it, and looking over his shoulder. "Sleep well, Sensei."

The door closed behind Kakashi and Iruka almost swore he heard the other say _'you'll need it.'_ His cheeks burning, Iruka went back to sorting the pens and only then noticed the marks on the back of his hand. The blue, black, and red streaks made the kanji for 'heart'. He wondered at it, wondered if Kakashi would tell him what he meant by it, or if the fact that they were going on a date meant it was supposed to be clear. His own skipped a beat and he smiled and sipped his coffee, amused that his first remark might not be too far off.**  
**


	3. Better Late Than Never

**Title: **Better Late Than Never**  
Prompt #: **87 by taudi**  
Genre: **Angst or drama**  
Three things that can be included:** Dog tags, tattoes, mirrors**  
Scenario:** If I come tonight, would you let me in?**  
Squicks: **Character death, AU**  
Maximum Rating: **Leave it up to the writer/artist

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Kakashi knelt in front of the grave for a moment his fingers tracing the grooves of the names he knew all too well. The rain had gone on for a week, the entire time he'd been gone, but it had stopped a few minutes ago to his surprise. The water pooled on the stone and his reflection shone up at him from several of the puddles. He slid one mask up on top of his head and the other under his chin, wondering when he'd started preferring seeing them over his own face in those reflections. He wondered because he knew when he'd stopped preferring it.

When he'd first put it on it had been a relief, something he could hide behind. It had been easier to put a on a mask than to take one off. From the moment he'd put it on he'd been a shadow and a ghost. Now it was a weight.

"We had a fight. Before I left. I think I might have ruined things." It had been a stupid fight and one that was entirely his fault. To be honest, Kakashi wasn't sure if Iruka would throw something heavy in his direction if he showed up right then. The man was prone to throwing things when he was pissed. And hitting. And biting. Kakashi didn't mind the biting or any of it really though he'd never tell his lover that. That was, of course, if he still had one. Would Iruka tell him to leave, that it was over? He wasn't sure.

Getting up, he turned and leapt into the trees and then to the rooftops, stopping only once he was outside of Iruka's apartment. The traps were set so tightly he couldn't even sense the chunin inside. He could get in, it wouldn't be that hard really, but Iruka didn't want him there so it didn't really matter. His question had been answered.

Pulling the masks back into place he headed home. The happiness he'd felt at being home again, at being able to see Iruka again, faded. All the relief had twisted into a tight little ball in his stomach making him feel sick and empty.

He'd managed to convince himself that Iruka would forgive him, that he just had to make it home and it would all fix itself. That was how it was _supposed_ to be because they were_supposed_ to be together. But then again you weren't _supposed_ to tell your lover, your best friend, the person who meant everything to you that they didn't understand, that they couldn't because they were just a chunin and they didn't get the kinds of missions you did.

He found himself shaking and stopped, not far from his apartment, to gather himself. Rubbing the swirl tattoo on his shoulder he forced himself to concentrate on being calm, only managing it after he'd focused on suppressing his chakra like he was preparing for a mission. The ache in his stomach was now accompanied by one in his chest. Going home wasn't supposed to hurt like this, it wasn't supposed to make him want to turn around and run. Kakashi took a deep breath and forced himself to move.

The building was dark, quiet, and uninviting. He didn't know if that made it easier to slip inside or not. Maybe, he thought, a warm welcoming cottage would worse right then.

His heart stopped at the same moment his foot hit the floor under his window.

Iruka shifted slightly, making a small noise, likely registering his presence despite still being asleep. Two bits of metal slid off of the bed and clinked together, the chain still clutched by the sleeping chunin.

"Iruka..." Kakashi's voice shook and he swallowed, forcing the tears of relief back. One fell anyway and he reached up to pull the ANBU mask off.

Brown eyes opened and Iruka smiled up at him. "You're late."

Kakashi set the mask down. "You're here..." The only thing holding the tears back at this point was shock.

The hand holding the dog tags, _his_ dog tags, reached up and took his hand. "Of course, this is were I'm supposed to be," Iruka whispered sleepily, pulling Kakashi into bed and wrapping his arms around him.

"I'm sorry..." It was all Kakashi could manage to get out. He buried his face against Iruka's neck and shoulder then slid his own arms around the man's waist.

"Better late than never," Iruka said, tightening his hold.

Kakashi had known before he'd been wrong, he'd known the minute he'd said it, Iruka understood him better than anyone. _This_ just proved it.**  
**


	4. Tap Mature

**Prompt #: **71 by Megyal**  
Genre:** General, Romance**  
Three things that can be included:  
Scenario: **Kakashi has some OCD that Iruka has trouble dealing with or makes some attempt to understand.**  
Squicks: **scat, chan, etc**  
Maximum Rating: **Up to NC-17  
**  
Title:** Tap**  
Pairing: **KakaIru**  
Summary: **Kakashi knows exactly how to drive Iruka nuts**  
Warnings: **NC-17**  
Disclaimer: **Kishimoto still owns Naruto but really he should give it to me. ^.^

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**  
Very early that morning, Iruka settled down in his living room in front of the couch with the intent to finish about a month's worth of backlogged paperwork. Everything from the academy that had been ignored or overlooked had been scooped up, along with several stacks of things from the mission desk.

By early afternoon, an empty tea pot and matching cup sat at one corner of the coffee table next to the rather large 'completed' stack of papers and scrolls. He was starting to feel rather accomplished with the way the stacks slowly diminished.

Then Kakashi had stopped by.

"Stop it!" Iruka swatted at Kakashi's hand-again.

The man's lower lip came out far enough it was visible even with the mask. "But...?"

Iruka turned to Kakashi, clenched his teeth, and glared from under a furrowed brow. "No." He pointed a threatening finger at the jounin. "Don't even _try_ to give me _that_ look!" He turned back to the paperwork spread out all over his coffee table and huffed in open annoyance.

There were several minutes of peace in which the only sound in the small apartment was the scrape of Iruka's pen across the paper he was grading. He started to relax and think that maybe he could get his work done without either tying his boyfriend up or killing him...

_Tap._

The sound drew his attention immediately and Iruka stopped writing. He waited, tensing. After a few minutes, he went back to writing, figuring that Kakashi had noticed the lack of his pen scraping across his paper and had stopped of his own accord.

_Tap, tap._

Continuing to work, Iruka cleared his throat in an 'ahem' manner, hoping to stop Kakashi without having to stop working.

_Tap, tap, tap..._

Iruka glared from the corner of his eyes at the object of his annoyance and hissed, "Kakashi..."

Kakashi looked up from his book, apparently confused as to why he was being scolded. "What?" Comprehension visibly dawned. "Oh. Whups... Sorry."

Iruka rolled his neck, trying to ease the tension that seemed to have built up in his shoulders in the last hour since Kakashi had arrived. "Mmhm..." The vein in his forehead was twitching, and Iruka forcibly unclenched his teeth. "Either stop tapping on the table, or I swear I will tie your hands behind your back."

"Yes, Sensei," Kakashi answered, an amused lilt to his voice.

The chunin turned and glared at Kakashi. "Don't you _'Yes, Sensei'_ me, you smart-assed bastard or I swear..."

"You'll...what?" Kakashi smirked, leaning forward; he looked Iruka up and down in open appraisal. "Spank me with a ruler?"

Iruka narrowed his gaze on Kakashi, daring him. "Do it and find out."

Pale fingers slid onto the table.

Iruka reached over and curled his own fingers around the corner of one of the couch pillows. "I'm warning you..."

"But, Sensei-" Kakashi snickered. "-I'm bored." He clicked one blunt nail against the wood. _Tap._

Iruka swung, hitting his lover in the side of the head with as much force as he could manage from a sitting position.

The corner of Kakashi's eye crinkled a moment before he lunged at him.

One handsign later, Iruka landed across the room, in the kitchen. He threw the pillow at his boyfriend, grabbed a spatula off the counter and yelled. "You are the most obnoxious pain in the ass...!" He leaped back towards the couch.

Kakashi rolled away, throwing pillows at Iruka in the process. "Maybe you better teach me a lesson then, _'Sensei'_."

Iruka growled while trying to cover a laugh rather unsuccessfully. "Stop moving and I will!"

They darted around the room, Kakashi keeping just outside Iruka's reach.

The advantage to them both being shinobi was, of course, that they had the control to _not_ take out the walls. The disadvantage was that they saw everything that wasn't nailed down as weapons or shields-and used them readily. The apartment quickly became a disaster area of papers, books, nick-knacks, plastic kitchen utensils, pots, pans, and cushions. The only thing Iruka didn't out-right throw at the other man was the spatula. He fully intended to beat Kakashi senseless with it.

Iruka suddenly gave Kakashi a wicked smirk. "Come over here and I'll _give_ you that spanking you wanted so badly!" He then promptly threw himself toward the couch.

Kakashi threw a pillow in Iruka's direction and darted away again, using the wall as a point of resistance to throw himself up and over the chunin's head.

Iruka ducked the pillow easily, but it required him to take his eyes off the other for a split second. He knew Kakashi was faster, even when they were merely 'playing' and instead of countering, he intentionally hesitated.

Kakashi's hands slid around Iruka's waist. "Oh, are you going to _give_ it to me-" One slipped down to grope him pointedly through his pants. "-Here, Sensei?"

The teasing felt good, particularly with the way the mild exercise had gotten his blood pumping after sitting most the day. However... Groaning, Iruka twisted, deliberately tangling their feet. "You wish...!"

Predictably, Kakashi fought back, pulling Iruka the rest of the way through the motion. "Actually, I _do_ wish."

Iruka landed with his back to the floor. "Asshole."

"I was bored and I am way more interesting than those papers." The copy-nin laughed, reaching up to pull his mask down. "Besides, I thought you said you wanted me to _come_?"

"Ugh, that's a horrible pun," Iruka groaned, rolling his eyes then he scrunched his face up. "Now get off me." Laughing, he hit Kakashi with the rubber spatula.

"Get you off? Hmm... I like that suggestion," Kakashi purred, stealing a kiss and grinding down against Iruka.

Iruka gasped, his eyes sliding shut for a second. Regaining his senses, he glared up at Kakashi. "No." He smacked Kakashi's ass again.

Kakashi tried to steal another kiss.

The chuunin turned his head away and the kiss landed on his cheek.

"Hey!" Kakashi pouted.

"I-" _Smack._ "-refuse-" _Smack._ "-to-" _Smack._ "-reward-" _Smack._ "-bad-" _Smack._ "-behavior!" Iruka pushed at Kakashi's chest, squirming under him in an attempt to get away.

Grabbing the hand on his chest, Kakashi pulled it away then pinned it above Iruka's head. "Somehow, I don't think you mean that, _Sensei_," he chuckled, nipping at Iruka's throat and sliding a hand down to fondle him again. "You say no and then encourage me...? So contrary."

Panting, Iruka pushed himself against Kakashi's teasing fingers, already getting hard. "No-" He intended the comment to stop after the first word but couldn't help letting the rest slip out. "-Lube..." _No lube._

Kakashi paused in his teasing, his eyebrow raising. "You're _completely_ right." Without releasing Iruka's wrist, he smirked then pulled back, standing up.

Before Iruka could even protest, Kakashi yanked the brunet up and hauled him over his shoulder. "Umph... hey!" Iruka smacked Kakashi's ass with the spatula again. "Put me down! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Problem solving, Sensei," Kakashi laughed, swatting Iruka's ass then groping it as he headed in the direction of Iruka's bedroom.

Iruka couldn't help it, he laughed. "Put me down before I decide to kick you!" He wouldn't, of course, but that didn't mean he couldn't threaten.

"As you wish," Kakashi unceremoniously dropped Iruka on the bed and climbed on after him. He yanked the spatula away and tossed it behind them then tugged at Iruka's shirt. "Admit it, you needed a break."

Rolling his eyes, Iruka helped get his shirt off then tugged at Kakashi's. "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have needed one if you hadn't been trying to drive me crazy."

Kakashi pulled his arms free. "Well then, you shouldn't have ignored me." He pressed a quick kiss to Iruka's lips, then tugged at Iruka's pants.

Once they were down far enough, Iruka kicked them the rest of the way off. "I was working and if you hadn't started trying to annoy me _out of boredom_, I'd be done!" He tossed Kakashi's shirt aside. "You couldn't just read your book and be good for ten minutes?"

"You know what I read." Kakashi's teeth latched onto Iruka's throat.

Iruka gasped. "That's no excuse."

Chuckling low and deep, Kakashi trailed open-mouthed kisses over the tan skin. "But, then it got to the good part-"

Iruka's fingers tugged at the waist of Kakashi's pants and he pushed them down over the man's narrow hips. "And...?"

Kakashi squirmed, one hand helping Iruka to get his pants the rest of the way off. "-And, you were right there."

The chunin reached for the lube, fumbling the drawer open and feeling for the bottle. He was pinned, though, and it limited his reach. Stretching, he twisted his wrist, silently cursing not having longer arms, or at least longer fingers.

Kakashi slid his hands over Iruka's muscled form, pinching the nipples and dragging his palms down over the firm muscles of his sides and then back up.

Iruka groaned, finally closing his fingers around the elusive bottle and shoving it at Kakashi. "And, the tapping was _really_ necessary?"

Kakashi chuckled softly. "Well, I was definitely thinking about 'tapping' something." His slick hands slid over heated tan skin and he cupped the younger man's balls, rolling them between his fingers. "I'm sure that's called...something, but I can't think what just now?"

"It's- _Ah_...!" Iruka arched his hips, begging physically for more contact while attempting to actually speak. "-just- _Ah_...! -Terrible pun."

"Mm.." Kakashi pressed his finger against the tight pink muscle, rubbing but not pushing inside. "_Clever_ play on words," he insisted, dragging his nail lightly over the hole.

Between his earlier irritation and the flirting, Iruka was hard and impatient. It was not fair at all for Kakashi to demand his attention and then delay things. "For-" _Pant..._ "-Someone who couldn't wait-" _Gasp..._ "-You're being an-" _Groan..._ "-Awful fucking tease." He bared his teeth at his lover. "Why don't you do something _useful_ with those fingers?"

"Yes, _Sensei._" Kakashi leaned back slightly, looking down at where his finger was touching Iruka, then he smirked and pushed the finger in.

Iruka released a low moan, spreading his legs apart a little more, grabbing his own knee and pulling it back to his chest to give Kakashi better access.

"For someone who wasn't interested, you seem awful eager." Kakashi wriggled his finger just a little. "And, I thought you liked my fingers driving you nuts?"

Ignoring the snarky comment, Iruka groaned and arched his hips, trying to get the finger deeper inside him. It wasn't enough. A low whine slipped from his throat. "More." His throat was tight and the word came out harsh.

The corner of Kakashi's mouth twitched again and he pushed a second finger in, searching deliberately. Abruptly, he pressed just the right spot.

Iruka's hips bucked involuntarily, the foot still on the bed dug into the mattress then slid down it as he straightened his leg. "Fuck." A moment later he gasped and lost the hold on his leg in favor of grabbing the headboard. His fingers clenched around the wood and it cracked loudly.

The fingers slid out and Kakashi ran his hands soothingly over Iruka's hips. "Sure you don't want to get back to work?" His eyebrow twitched, the corners of his mouth turning up, and his lips parting enough for his teeth to be visible.

Iruka couldn't do much more than pant. "Fuck me." Iruka had intended it as a demand, but it came out more of a plea.

Kakashi's chest shuddered with a laugh, and he leaned over long enough to plant a light kiss on the brunet's lips. "Well, if you _insist._" Settling back again, he hooked an arm under Iruka's knee, lined himself up, then pushed inside in a single smooth motion.

The groan was muffled by the kiss but broke free when Kakashi pulled back to breath and thrust in again. Iruka shifted trying to meet each thrust by rocking his hips up as much as he could.

"Harder?" Kakashi asked, his fingers pressing into Iruka's skin hard enough to leave white marks whenever he slid them to get a better grip.

Iruka nodded, clutching at the blankets and shifting his legs. He hooked them over Kakashi's shoulders, then slid one hand down to wrap it around his erection, already dripping precum. Panting, he slipped his fingers down over his balls then back up, taking advantage of the excess lube. The position wasn't romantic, or even their favorite, but it was fast paced and deep. In short, it worked to bring them both to the edge very quickly.

Iruka threw his head back, sucked in a deep breath, and screwed his eyes shut. The light-headedness didn't lessen. Every muscle in his body wanted to tighten; he resisted because he wanted the feeling to last and he didn't want to push Kakashi away-or change position.

Shifting, Kakashi leaned a palm against the wall; his other hand slid under Iruka's ass and lifted slightly.

The very slight angle change was enough to put just that much more pressure on Iruka's prostate. Iruka groaned and curled his toes at the feeling. He gasped, his balls tightening and the giddy sensation near blinding.

Fingers tightened on Iruka's ass then relaxed and started rubbing circles in the small of his back, coaxing him to relax, to come.

Unable to resist the tug of desire any longer, Iruka came, hard and loud, gasping his lover's name in a broken fashion. Warmth flooded his insides and his own hot cum splashed across his chest while the blood thudded in his ears so loud he couldn't hear. The only sounds for a few brief moments was rushing sound of his own breath. Spent and shaking, Iruka dropped his legs, from Kakashi's shoulders. He slid them down his lover's arms to his sides before letting them fall the rest of the way to the bed.

Kakashi collapsed on top of him. Trembling, he pulled out and rolled over to lay beside him.

Iruka smiled and stared blankly at the ceiling, still dizzy and his hearing slightly off from the fact his ears had popped.

Breathing heavily, Kakashi flopped a hand over his eyes. "Better than work." It wasn't a question.

"Asshole," Iruka muttered.

_Tap._ The sound was followed by a fairly quiet snicker from the jounin. _Tap, tap, tap._

"I'm _so_ going to kill you," Iruka muttered, half asleep.**  
**


	5. Sharing a Secret

Title: Sharing a Secret

Pairing: KakashixIruka BUT from Sakura's POV (SakuIno could be implied and Saku-Sasu-Ino is definitely implied)  
Summary: "Every man is surrounded by a neighborhood of voluntary spies." - Jane Austen  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto now nor will I ever. Obviously.  
Written for the KakaIru Fest Bingo round but I'm so late posting because of PAX this weekend and well forgetting until the last minute. .  
Dedicated to Beasiesgal because I came up with it because I was talking to somebody else about OCs and pointed out her character 'Ichigo Banira' and then I had to read it again and I thought oh there needs to be more Sakura stuff with Kakashi and Iruka as a pairing. And well it lead to this. PLUS her birthday is in a few days and I totally wanted to write her something.

* * *

Sakura didn't notice at first the little things that should have been obvious. The slight blush at a compliment, a brief touch of fingers whenever mission scrolls were exchanged, or looks in passing. It never seemed to mean anything when she was thirteen and so completely consumed by her obsession with Sasuke. She knew when that changed, when she noticed, and when she did it all seemed so very apparent.

"Shh..." Sakura pressed a finger to her lips and motioned for Ino to stop moving then she leaned around the corner.

He was still there leaning against the wall his nose in his book.

They were on his blindside which she'd been hoping for. It made things easier. Lips stretched into an amused smirk she motioned for Ino to lean over so that she could see too. They'd have to edge over just a little more to see the rest but when your sensei was famously good at sneaking up on you it was only smart to be cautious.

"But..." Ino started.

Sakura turned and glared at her, eyes narrowed darkly at the blonde. If she got caught because her comrade couldn't keep her mouth shut she would personally see that the fifteen-year-old chunin personally cleaned the bedpans of every patient at the hospital. She could do it to, Tsunade still owed her for not telling Shizune about a few certain hiding places.

"He's just standing there."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura rubbed her face with her hand and resisted the urge to smack Ino. Hitting her, particularly when she was irritated would more than likely lead to them getting caught. _'Why is she such an idiot sometimes? Stupid Ino-pig SHUT UP!'_ Thankfully the internal dialogue remained such. Clenching down on the irritation she felt, Sakura mouthed _"Just wait."_

Ino rolled her eyes but didn't say anything else.

Carefully, Sakura shifted along the ledge a little more until she could see the mission desk then waved Ino forward.

Iruka and two chunin she recognized from the first chunin exam were sitting there doing paperwork but the room was otherwise empty. After a while the two men helping Iruka scooped up several boxes and stacks of paperwork and disappeared out a door at the side. The scar that stretched across Iruka's tan nose and cheeks twitched very slightly as he watched them leave. Once the door slid shut he looked up at Kakashi and a light blush dusted his cheeks.

Sakura barely heard the soft 'Oh' from behind her as Kakashi walked over and handed a scroll to Iruka. She wondered if it really was a mission and it might have been, she just wasn't _sure_.

Iruka took it and unrolled it, his eyes still locked on Kakashi. Then he dropped his gaze to read it and smiled and blushed again. He said something inaudible and scribbled on the scroll before handing it back to the silver-haired jounin standing in front of him with his trademark slouch.

Kakashi took it and turned around, heading for the door.

As he crossed the room, Sakura couldn't help but notice the way his visible eye was turned up in that way of his that signified him smiling or the slight blush just barely visible above the line of his mask. She pushed Ino back quickly, afraid Kakashi would open his eye and see them. Once she was sure he was gone she stepped away from the edge of the window and leapt from the ledge they were standing on to the far roof with a little bit of chakra. She'd been very careful to make sure her and Ino used none during their spying and that they suppressed even the smallest amounts. Even the slightest slip would get them caught and she could just imagine the chewing out Iruka-sensei would give her if he knew she'd been spying on him.

"Wow." Ino's eyebrows were raised and she looked back towards the hokage tower.

"They were blushing and I bet that scroll was a love note of some kind, you saw Iruka-sensei's reaction too, don't you think so?" Sakura had asked Ino to come along because she needed confirmation that she wasn't just imagining it.

"Maybe they're just friends..." Despite the words she didn't sound convinced and the raised eyebrows didn't drop.

Sakura laughed and shook her head. "I've never seen either of them look like that."

"I know, neither have I. It's weird but cute. Old people are so sweet when they're in love," Ino agreed, breaking down and laughing too. "It's weird, like seeing my dad flirt though."

"I know but I'm happy for them." Sakura smiled and looked back towards the building. "Let's get out of here before we get caught." She couldn't help the happiness that bubbled up at the thought of her two teachers and at the fact that ever since Sasuke had left her Ino seemed to be getting along better. She'd missed her so it was nice to share a secret with her again.


	6. MokumeGane

**Title:** Mokume-gane  
**Author:** Kiterie  
**Recipient:** rutheatsu  
**Rating:** PG 13  
**Pairing(s):** KakashixIruka  
**Summary:** Long missions are hard to deal with, but do routines keep the shinobi at home from falling apart or do even routines lose their effect after awhile? Kakashi brightens Iruka's otherwise dull day so what does he do when the man is gone? Based on .com/gallery/#/d2x3g5k  
**Contains warnings]:** MUCH FLUFF! ^.^ and a few cuss words  
**Word Count:** 1700  
**Author's Notes: **I wrote this at the beginning of June but since it was part of the KakaIru Fest Summer Remix I had to wait until now to post it. I have looked at this picture and read the comments regarding it a million times by now and I keep coming back to one thing... it's the light that this picture displays that everyone loves. It's what I always come back to too. The story I decided to write is intended to reflect that. LeAnn Rimes song 'You Light Up My Life' totally popped in my head while I was writing it and I busted up laughing then my beta said the same thing. XP Betaed by the wonderful Athame, Morgainedeshone, Micah, and TricksterLiv. About the title: The name was borrowed from one type of pattern created in the forging of swords and other edged weapons. I liked the idea of it because it's an unbroken random pattern formed from forging metal so it seemed to fit with shinobi and the routines that would make up their lives. plus there are some really pretty colors that you can get with the right metals that make me think of a sunset.

* * *

The late afternoon sun streamed in through the open window, making the polished wood floor of the shinobi academy classroom glow a warm orange. Clean blackboards shone, and the empty student tables glittered where nicks and dents, caused by years of careless children, caught the light.

Iruka shuffled the papers on his desk, mechanically sorting them into stacks. Routine long ingrained the process so that it took next to none of his attention. Sighing, he tugged on the dark brown hair of his ponytail, tightening it, and leaned back in his chair. He stretched, rolled his head and shoulders to get the kinks worked out and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. His fingers rubbed over the long scar that cut a near perfect line across it and his tan cheeks. None of the actions were anything more than patterned routine.

That was the problem, of course. Routines kept you moving, kept you busy, but that was it. After a while, the days blurred together, dragging on and out like one endless, boring march. You drudged through it not because you had to or needed to or _wanted_to, but because that's simply what you did. It didn't matter how bright the sun or day seemed to everyone else, when you were stuck in a routine it was just another day.

Warm, red light filtered through his eyelids and Iruka sighed. A shadow passed across the window, breaking the redness with the briefest darker shade that was never quite black even in actual darkness. Opening his eyes, Iruka blinked and glanced out the window.

Nothing. The window stood as empty as the school yard beyond it.

"The heat must be getting to me. I should know better than to sit in the sun." He shook his head and stood up. Grabbing his bag from beside the desk, he set it in his chair and started loading it up with various things before heading out the door.

Shadows stretched across the hallway and he let his eyes slide from one to the next, some part of his brain looking for a pattern that wasn't there. Even when he stepped outside under the trees and the buildings, he could feel the distraction drawing him into its little mind game. Not just with shadows but with dark blue uniforms and puffy green vests so like his own. None of them were right, though. None had the right creases in them caused by a very specific slouch, and the blue never came up past the chin to cover the person's face. White tufts caught his eye for half a second before he realized it was simply some girl's hat. Bits of orange and red and green caught his eye next, and he growled irritably when the realization of exactly what he was looking for hit him.

_'I am not bored. I am not bored. I am **not** bored.'_Iruka repeated the chant in his head as though it would change the reality if he just said it enough. He wasn't used to being bored. He had plenty of work and hobbies and friends. Which was still true. He had a stack of papers left to grade, books to read, his painting of the little dango shop for Anko's birthday to finish and half a dozen invitations to 'go out and celebrate his temporary single life'. None of which he had any intention of doing because he'd tried doing them the night before and the night before that and even the one before that. They were all as interesting as watching paint dry; in one case literally so because Kurenai had co-opted his help in painting her kitchen.

Pushing the red fabric hanging from the awning of the noodle shop aside, Iruka stepped inside. He smiled, because it was the polite thing to do and not because he actually felt any particular enthusiasm or joy right at that particular moment. "Hello, Ayame."

"Hello, Iruka-san." She smiled back at him with the mirth his expression lacked.

He smiled a little more honestly and sat down. "One pork ramen, please."

She nodded and set about getting his food. Setting it in front of him, she disappeared to the back to finish whatever work she had left.

Even _this_was part of his routine, but a more empty part. In the last year and half, he'd discovered how much he truly hated eating alone. Naruto's bright smile had been well worth having an empty wallet. It was a routine he had loved, a routine that had been broken with Naruto's absence and filled again by a certain obnoxious jounin's presence. Moments like this, when he sat alone again, made the vacancies in his life that much more obvious. He wondered for a moment why he came here when they did that, but he knew the answer was as simple as why he did everything else that he did. It was a part of his day. He also knew it was easier than going home to an empty house.

The pans clanged together as Ayame washed them and hung them up, the sounding ringing clearly from the back. It broke the silence with it's sharp 'tings' of metal on metal.

Iruka closed his eyes and sipped his soup, trying to ignore the sound. It was different, but not _that_different, from another he and every other shinobi knew too well. Worry tightened in his gut, and he finished the bowl off faster than was really healthy. Pulling out several bills, he tucked them under his bowl and left.

He didn't have work at the mission desk, despite his offer to take Genma's shift, because in the last two weeks people had become annoyingly interested in keeping their shifts. He'd managed to get a few shifts, all from Anko, who seemed to be the _only_person left who valued her free time.

Dust and leaves blew across the street, his feet kicking up more. He stared, watching it puff and swirl and dance in the air. Not paying mind to where his feet carried him, Iruka drifted through the market place. Wandering aimlessly wasn't any better than routine, but his motivation was lacking enough and he didn't have the energy to bother caring that he wasn't even sure where he was going.

_"How long's it been?"_

"Two weeks."

"How does he keep smiling?"

"Denial."

"I hear he hasn't even cried."

"He doesn't look well."

"I know; did you see how dark the circles under his eyes are getting?"

As soft as they were, their voices carried to his ears, and he knew they were talking about him without even looking up. The whispering was new, not a part of the routine. At least not a part they'd ever let him overhear. He'd seen the way they looked at him though, pitying him. It wasn't worth his time to correct them, though, so he didn't. If they had bothered to ask him, he might have explained that two weeks late wasn't dead-it was a complication, a delay.

The sleepless nights _weren't_because he was worried, they were because he was half asleep most of the day and so it made it hard to do so at night. His disinterest had nothing to do with their false belief that he was depressed, it was because people weren't always as interesting as they liked to believe, and being overly-nice to him simply amplified that. He would have explained all of it, but they never asked so he never bothered.

The voices faded behind him, and Iruka turned from the streets, following the path that lead along the cliff face. It was quiet, which seemed to match his mood, his day, the last two months of his life. By the time he reached the top, the lack of sound was unbearably loud. He could feel his muscles twitch under his skin from the tension of it, and it occurred to him that it was probably a mistake to have left the village, to have sought out the silence he despised with such a passion right then.

Staring out over the village, Iruka screamed, a completely unintelligible sound meant only to break the silence and ease his frustration at it. It didn't.

"Mah... I know I'm late but was that really necessary," a voice behind him drawled.

Iruka jumped at the sound. Spinning around, he stared.

Kakashi waltzed over, shedding bits of his white ANBU armor along the way.

His eyes scanned over the lanky figure, searching for any sign of injury. There was none, and a knot in his stomach relinquished it's tight grip, relief washing over him in a dizzying wave.

Stopping in front of Iruka, Kakashi pulled the mask down to his chin and wrapped an arm around him.

"Damn you," Iruka whispered before Kakashi could say anything. He slid his own arm around Kakashi's shoulder and smiled. "You have no idea how _boring_my world is without you." Everything instantly seemed brighter with Kakashi home. The fading light of the sun as it set in all its brilliance, that moments before had gone unnoticed by him, seemed far more stunning casting its colors on Kakashi's skin and hair. It seemed to radiate off of him in a way that he hadn't noticed before, and he wondered how he'd ever missed it when the warmth of it filled him so entirely.

"I'll take it you missed me then?" Kakashi teased, brushing a hand across Iruka's cheek.

Iruka laughed, the sound came out as shaky as he felt inside. "More than you can imagine. I even missed that stupid book of yours for fuck's sake."

"That _is_what it's for," Kakashi chuckled. "And, I can read you some of it if you missed it that much."

"Would you shut up and fucking kiss me already?" Iruka growled, still grinning happily.

Kakashi flashed Iruka a smile and tilted his head to do exactly that. "Only because you asked so nicely," he whispered and then promptly caught Iruka's lips with his own.

-End-


	7. Iruka's Epiphany

**Title: Iruka's Epiphany****  
Gifter: kiterie****  
Recipient: tsuyume****  
Rating: PG****  
Summary: For shinobi a shared mission can often define the ties between them, both by the principals they share and the ones they don't.****  
Word Count: 2865****  
Gifter's Notes: I rewatched this episode (Iruka's Ordeal) and just wow Iruka looks like crap in the flashback. Thanks to my betas M and K. I wrote this with Improvisation-and-Perversion in mind so that's intended to have happened although I do think they can be read separately. I&P is found in the Formspring drabbles**

* * *

Iruka cracked his eyes open, wincing slightly at the light. White shifted slowly into shapes after a few pain-filled blinks, and he rubbed his eyes to clear them further.

Iwashi stood up from the chair beside the bed, scooped up several loose papers, and started straightening them. "Oh good, you're awake. Hatake-san wanted me to get you to sign off on the report. I was just going over the last of the details. He has terrible penmanship, but I think this is the final version."

Report, mission, Hatake... it took a few moments for Iruka to put the pieces together, but slowly they fell into place. He felt his cheeks flush; he wondered how much of what he remembered had actually occurred. Iruka did his best to push himself up into a sitting position - he was weak and his muscles were stiff but he managed. His head hurt and even through the haze of drugs he could feel the dull aches of various injuries. It made the hospital room a welcome sight, if a somewhat confusing one. "Kakashi-"

"Hatake-san carried you to the gates," Iwashi said, cutting him off. "He's fine, but you were in bad shape. They say you should be fine in a few days though." The line of Iwashi's lips stretched into a small, friendly smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You guys came in two days behind me."

It wasn't what he'd been about to ask, not exactly, but it answered his question. Kakashi, it was impossible to think of him as merely Hatake-san now, was fine. The last of the response, the timing, caught his attention too and Iruka frowned. Two days plus whatever time he'd been in here unconscious, and yet the mission report was only just being done. Iruka held his hand out, wincing slightly at the pain it caused to shoot across his shoulders. "You're supposed to report in immediately."

Iwashi hesitated before finally handing the papers and a pen over. " I did, but they were all so busy that they didn't even notice I hadn't made an official report. Hatake-san went to speak to the hokage himself about the mission. He said not to worry."

Iruka stiffened, his shoulders tightening and pulling on the abused muscles in his back until it was almost too painful to breathe. He wondered why people said not to worry when those words always caused far more concern than they ever alleviated. The very utterance of them said there was a reason to worry.

Turning his attention to the papers in his hand, Iruka read the tiny, scrawling, and nearly illegible handwriting. None of what Kakashi said in the report was a lie, but the details were off very slightly. The way Kakashi wrote it, it sounded almost as though none of it was his fault.

It was.

The mission had been a straight-forwards reconnaissance. It should have been simple. They should have been in, out, and done. The fact that it had been an A-rank was strictly due to the fact that anything involving Orochimaru was automatically elevated to that rank, and it should not have been anywhere near as difficult as it had become. That was entirely on his shoulders.

Iruka frowned, studying the report and considering if, perhaps, he was being overly harsh on himself about his failures. He didn't think so.

Kakashi had been the team captain, and his orders had been well-reasoned.

Kakashi had summoned his dogs and cast a jutsu on them, Iruka, and himself which mapped their location to a scroll. Iwashi had been ordered to stand guard with the scroll, safely outside the patrolled area while they had gone inside. They'd split up to speed things up. Mapping the research facility should not have been a particularly difficult task, given that it wasn't heavily manned.

He'd slipped up though.

A kid had seen him, and instead of taking him out the way he would have any adult, he'd hesitated. The hesitation had been enough to stay his hand entirely. Instead of doing what he should have, he'd tied him up and left him out of sight. The mission parameters hadn't specifically stated that he had to kill an enemy upon discovery, but not doing so raised the risks significantly. The dead can't escape and sound the alarm, after all. If he hadn't known for sure that it was the kid, then he could have reasoned things away, but the boy had been right there when he got attacked.

If Kakashi hadn't heard the alarm, if he hadn't come back for him and saved him, then Iruka knew the mistake would have cost him his life. As it was, it only cost them the success of the mission.

"What's wrong, Iruka?" Iwashi leaned over looking at the report.

"Huh?" Iruka blinked and looked up.

Pick up the top sheet, Iwashi studied it closer. "He did all the paperwork. Right too. I mean, it looked alright to me, and he even gave you credit for helping cover my retreat. You should be happy."

Iruka knew he was right and that he should be happy. Everyone had made it home safe, Kakashi was doing what team leaders did and watching out for his team, and Iwashi had his back too. He wasn't though. He wasn't the kind of man to let other people take responsibility for his actions or cover for him, but it was more than that. "You said he's talking to the hokage? When did he leave?"

Iwashi blinked at him and tugged on the hair just starting to growing in on his chin. "He left just before you woke up and he probably went to get cleaned up first. You bled all over him."

Giving the papers one last look over, Iruka signed them and handed them over. They were mostly accurate, and he was going to clear things up, so signing the report would only mean that Iwashi wasn't left waiting for him. "Thanks, Iwashi."

He waited until Iwashi gathered everything up and headed out the door, and then, very carefully, he slid out of bed and dressed himself. It was a slow process, and it took him several very long minutes to get his shirt on, but he managed. The leg wraps and sandals were no less difficult, but he decided they were necessary. If he tried to walk out of the hospital they'd drag him back to bed, which meant that calling a nurse for assistance was out of the question.

Iruka formed the hand signs for a kage bushin, gave it the hospital gown, slipped the heart monitor on it's finger, and had it climb into bed in his place. Leaning around the edge of the door, he peeked outside at the registration desk.

Inari-san sat there reading a book with her feet propped up on the desk, the door just past her.

Silently, Iruka slipped out and headed down the hall in the other direction, casually poking his head into various rooms. The fifth one he checked was occupied by a sleeping patient and Iruka ducked inside. Checking the chart, he made sure the guy wasn't in a coma and was in fact just sleeping before reaching over and sliding the heart monitor slightly off the man's finger. Then as quickly as he could he left the room and ducked into the empty room across the hall.

The quick pounding of feet followed by the banging of the door told him Inari had rushed to the "dying" man's rescue and Iruka slipped out and scurried for the door. "Sorry, Inari-san. I'll be back before you know I'm gone though."

He didn't give her a chance to catch him either, the moment he was out the door he raised his hands, formed the signs for the teleportation jutsu, and vanished. As exhausting as it would be to expend the chakra when he was still healing, it was easier on him than walking. It was also the only way he'd get there in a reasonable amount of time and still be able stand upright. He wanted to hold onto as much of his composure as he could manage to retain for what he needed to do. Telling Hiruzen-sama that he'd failed was never easy.

The jutsu landed him slightly out of breath, but safely on the roof and blessedly on the other side of it from the two men he'd come to talk to. They were facing away from him, but he caught their words.

Hiruzen had his hands clasped behind his back, it was a more casual stance intended to put others at ease while maintaining posture and authority. "Kakashi... How is that you were there and yet...?"

"Forgive me. I made a formation error. I should have kept him with me." In contrast to Hiruzen, Kakashi stood at attention.

Iruka winced, the comment stinging his pride like a goad. For all that, though, he could only admire the steadiness Kakashi displayed. Kakashi was a good leader, and he could only hear the barest hint of nerves in Kakashi's voice. It seemed to him that Kakashi didn't like admitting a failure to Hiruzen anymore than he did. It was nice to know that he was still willing to do it for his teammates.

Careful to keep his breathing steady, Iruka took a step forward.

Both men turned at his approach, acknowledging him.

When he turned to face him Kakashi retained is stiff posture. Between the mask that covered the lower part of his face and the hitai-ate that draped over his left eye left only a small portion of his face open. The visible brow rose and he watched Iruka intently but remained quiet.

Hiruzen on the other hand, eyed him, his gaze wandering over Iruka carefully and the deep creases around his eyes deepened very slightly with concern. "Ah... Iruka, how are your wounds?"

"Yes... It was just a minor injury. Thank you for your concern." He could never bring himself to admit how much he hurt, not in front of the two of them. They were legends, and it was bad enough having to come here under the circumstances he was.

"You worked hard. Take some time off to recuperate." Hiruzen's tone was friendly, but the expression in his eyes was the same one he always had when he was scolding somebody for being foolish.

It took every bit of Iruka's willpower to not flush with shame at the reproving look, but he took a breath and held onto his resolve. "Sandaime... I was responsible for this incident. The team leader is not..." He stole a glance at Kakashi, wanting him to understand that he was grateful, but not to interrupt.

"I fully understand without you telling me."

Iruka stiffened, tension tightening the muscles in his shoulders painfully. Of course Hiruzen knew, it was foolish of him to think otherwise. "Yes, sir!"

"Iruka... you've always been a kind person." Hiruzen's words were firm, not allowing any room for argument against the compliment. "I believe that kindness of yours proved detrimental during a crucial moment against the enemy shinobi."

Sagging, Iruka closed his eyes and considered the words, letting them sink in. He wanted to refute them, but knew them for the unvarnished truth. He couldn't detach when he needed to. It was his weakness, and they both knew it. It had the potential to be a fatal one. A proper shinobi wouldn't allow himself such a dangerous flaw.

"There may come a time when that trait puts your comrades' lives in danger," Hiruzen continued, his voice gravely serious.

"Yes. I thought I was well aware of my own personality, but..." He'd thought he would get used to it, that it would get easier. It hadn't.

"Well-" Hiruzen's tone gentled, "-what's done is done. For your next mission..."

The tone reminded Iruka of when he was little and the first real conversation they'd had. He opened his eyes, his answer right in front of him. "Sandaime..."

Both Hiruzen and Kakashi seemed surprised by his interruption. Hiruzen went silent and Kakashi even raised an eyebrow.

"Actually..." Iruka balled his hands up into fist and swallowed the nervous feeling, "I'd like to speak to you about that."

"What is it? Speak freely." The words were a promise that Iruka would not only have his attention, but also that what he had to say wouldn't be used against him.

"Sandaime-sama, I wonder if you recall..." Iruka hoped the man he respected most in the world remembered, but he would understand if he was only one more orphan. "After I lost my parents, you spoke to me in front of the stone monument of heroes. You told me about the will of fire."

A faint smile touched Hiruzen's lips. "Yes, I remember it well."

The acknowledgement made what he had to say that much more important to him, and until he'd heard those words he hadn't realized how much it meant to him that Hiruzen remembered that moment. "Because of your words, I was able to concentrate on my training and my duties. The lesson you taught me about the Will of Fire..." Happiness filled him at the realization that he now knew exactly what he wanted to do, and he wondered why he'd never thought to consider it before. "I'd like to pass it on to the next generation of ninja."

"What? You want to become an instructor at the Academy?" Obvious amusement lit Hiruzen's voice, a light chuckle escaping him.

"Yes, if I may, sir!" Any doubts that he'd held were gone, _this_was what he was meant to do and he knew it now.

Hiruzen smiled wider. "Well then, starting tomorrow, you shall be an assistant instructor at the Academy."

"Really, Sandaime?" Iruka couldn't help it he felt like a little kid; no, he felt like he did the day he received his hitai-ate. It was like the world had opened up and his dreams had come true before he'd even known what his dream was. But suddenly, being a teacher was all he wanted to be.

"If you'll excuse me I believe I have some paperwork to take care of." Still smiling, Hiruzen gave a slight nod and headed for the stairs to his office.

Iruka watched him leave, a new sense of direction filling him. The excitement at the prospect was damn near overwhelming, but Iruka stomped it down and turned to Kakashi. "Thank you. For saving me and for... I'm sorry I cost us the mission."

"We still gathered a great deal of information." Kakashi tilted his head to the side, his shoulders drooping slightly and his posture relaxing. "I should have kept you with me."

"I should have killed the kid," he countered. "I have trouble with that. It's just that they're kids. He was younger than I was when I graduated and-"

"You can't detach," Kakashi interrupted, "but I don't want you to."

Iruka's chest tightened and he swallowed. He knew Kakashi didn't mean it the way it sounded... personal. Kakashi was a village hero and there was no way that he even knew or cared anything about Iruka outside of his mission folder. It was a strangely depressing though. "I'd be a better shinobi if I could."

"A better shinobi," Kakashi countered, and Iruka was sure he wasn't imagining the sharpness behind the words. "But not a better person. Too many of us completely forget that we're going up against real, breathing humans with history and families and everything else that makes them not just a target." Kakashi shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head. "Any of the rest of us would have killed a _kid_ without a second thought. Sometimes, like this time, that's the right choice, but it won't always be, and if we don't stop to think about it, we never will. I don't want you to be in danger, but you shouldn't become something you're _not_. I'm glad you're going to be an instructor."

It made sense and Iruka felt better hearing somebody he respected say it in such a direct fashion. "Thank you. I really feel like it's where I belong."

"Iruka-_sensei_..." Kakashi leaned forward, deliberately in Iruka's personal space, his cheeks rounding and the corner of his eye crinkling, making the fact that he was smiling under the mask very apparent. "So many teacher fantasies coming to mind. As a matter of fact, there's this one part in Icha Icha where..."

Warmth rushed to his cheeks and he rubbed the tip of his finger over the edge of the scar that ran across his nose and cheeks. "I should go, Hatake-san. I should get back before my disappearance is discovered and poor Inari-san gets into trouble."

"Kakashi." The correction was accompanied by a light chuckle.

The heat on his cheeks got worse and Iruka smiled at him before raising his hands for the teleportation jutsu. He was going to be utterly exhausted, but at least it would be a somewhat impressive exit. "Goodbye, Kakashi." He pushed the chakra into the jutsu and disappeared.  
**  
Fin**


End file.
